Inside The Bills

The Bills were shut out of the NFL Pro Bowl game this year, the second consecutive season the team goes without a representative on the AFC squad. And Albert Breer of the NFL Network says that makes sense, given the Bills disappointing 2012 season.

Breer is an analyst on the NFL Network and he writes regular pieces for NFL.com. He appeared on The John Murphy Show Wednesday night after the Pro Bowl selections were announced.

Breer says when a team underperforms the way the Bills have this season, it’s tough for individual players to get Pro Bowl recognition.

“So much of that is based on team success,” Breer told John Murphy. “Obviously, all 53 guys on the roster are going to be behind the eight ball to begin with, based on the year they had as a team. You look at some of the more high profile players–obviously Fred Jackson dealt with some injuries, Mario Williams didn’t perform up to the level he was expected to perform to. That defensive line in general didn’t live up to the hype. Some of the stronger points of the team either had injuries or just didn’t live up to expectations, and that’s what you get.”

Breer wrote an article for NFL.com Wednesday that addressed the Pro Bowl, and the future of the league’s annual All Star event. He says there are various ideas being tossed around to improve the game itself. The league believes its’ brand is damaged by the lackluster play in Honolulu, but most NFL players have no problem with the game is picked and played.

“The players like the idea of being able to go over there and socially interact with the players they’ve been competing with for years,” Breer said.

“The problem for the NFL is that… the game just doesn’t live up to the quality of product that the fans are used to getting from the league. The NFL is very, very protective of its’ image and its’ brand, and having things like this associated with it, that’s not what the league is looking for,” according to Breer.

The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

The AFC/NFL Pro Bowl squads will be announced tonight at 7pm on the NFL Network. And we’ll see if the Bills put any of their stars into the annual showcase game. Last year, the Bills were shut out of the big game in Hawaii.

Tonight on The John Murphy Show, we’ll have updates on the Pro Bowl announcement. Seven-time Pro Bowl selection SteveTasker joins us at 720pm to talk about his experience in the game, and the disappointing Bills season so far.

AT 8pm, five time Pro Bowl RB Thurman Thomas joins us live on the line to talk about the Bills. We’ll also ask Thurman to elaborate on his mysterious tweet from last Sunday, when he said on twitter “Can’t share the news I just got, but it is ON LIKE A …. And yes, it involves the Bills ..” May want to tune in for that.

At 8:20pm, Albert Breer of the NFL Network and NFL.com joins us to talk about the Pro Bowl in the future. He’s got some ideas on improving the quality of the game.

As usual, we”ll take your phone calls on the Bills and the NFL.

The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.